Four men killed in Neno mob justice attack

A dark cloud has befallen Chimbalanga village in traditional authority Dambe in Neno where four family members have been brutally murdered by other people following sudden death of a a 17 year old woman.

It was a lynching ceremony in Neno

One of the residents in the village has said that it all started with the death of a 17 year old Flora Kanjete who was hit by a lighting on the mid night of January 25 2016, then some people descended on the four, all aged, thinking they are behind the death of the young woman.

“The incident happened today at around 1200hrs on 25 January 2016 and after the tragedy the angry mob killed four people instantly thinking that they are responsible for the death of the young lady,” said a woman from the village.

Police have since confirmed of the two incidents and identified the four as; Byson Kanjete aged 73, Eliza Enosi aged 86, Elenefa Kanjete aged 76 and Idesi Julius aged 69.

“They were severely beaten and killed. After receiving this sad news we rushed to the scene where we found all dead bodies lying in a pool of blood,” said a police officer.

The Police Officer explained that the one who reported the mater at the police was 48 year old Hamiton Kanjete.

No arrests have been made so far but according to the police source investigations are underway to establish whet actually happened and the relationship of the people.

This is the reason am an advocate of death penalty. Malawians no longer fear killing one another nowadays knowing pretty well hat they will not be killed themselves. What proof is there that the four had bewitched the young lady? May be a Nyasa simunafufuze bwino?

The death of the young woman was caused by a natural process whereby static electricity sought the ground from the storm clouds above her. Unfortunately, she was struck by lightning in the process, causing her death by electrical discharge.
The four elderly people died as a result of a murderous attack by a mob of idiots.
Presumably, they – and the people who led them – spent more time studying religion at school than they did studying science.
If they had studied science more carefully, the 4 elderly people would still be alive.
What this unfortunate incident should also teach everyone concerned is that it is dangerous to go out in the open when ever storm clouds are passing overhead.
I do not agree with state-sanctioned murder of anyone.
The murderers killed the elderly persons because of their natural stupidity and ignorance.
If everyone who is ignorant and stupid were to be put to death, there would be very few people left living anywhere on Earth.
What is really needed is better education for all, especially better science education.

This is a deplorable and heinous act perpetrated by uneducated savages who took upon themselves the roles of the persecutor, police and judges at the same time. Just imagine these helpless elderly group of people facing such a violent mob of blood -thirsty savages . This kind of death is brutal and barbaric and should never be allowed to happen again. Those responsible for tbese deaths should face the long arm of the Law, no mercy. For those in support of this barbaric act just know that next time azakhala agogo anu kapena inu, kuphedwa momvetsa chisoni choncho!!!!

Some of us always hanker after wisdom and some of it, we get from people’s comments here. As such, zimawawa kwambiri to sense wisdom in somebody’s comment koma kuona kuti comment yo siikumveka iai. Am trying hard to make sense of your comment but am failing.

These people have killed 4 people because of the dealth of a girl and the police rushes to the scene and people comented against the dealth. Some people killed two elderly men because of trees and police says nothing and people clap hands. You dull people, you dull government, you dull police, think carefully.

This kind of behaviour besmirches the name of Malawi, as well as the reputation of the government of Malawi and the people of Malawi.
By allowing such elderly abuse, the Malawian authorities are complicit in such crimes.
For a start, they should start to really educate children in schools as to the scientific explanations for such phenomena.
Allowing religion and superstition to provide pseudo-explanations can only ever end up with similar consequences to those being reported.
This incident is shameful and the Malawi authorities – from the local community leaders to the Head of State – should be hanging their collective heads in shame over it.

These are the fruits of DEMOCRACY. People have become monsters: murder,white collar crime( cashgate included), blue collar crime, women and children abuse including rape and torture. Here we are seeing 4 people whose ages were so encouraging thus 69,73,76 and 86 brutally murdered by fearless idiots.
These people MUST be apprehended and be punished severely to give others a lesson.

Wow..when will Malawians every learn.was thinking about moving back to Malawi but now thanks but no thanks.what kind of backwards thinking you can blame someone else for lighting..help me understand that.

Instead of progressing Malawi is going backward. Did the killers suspect witchcraft had caused the girl’s death? If so, then they are truly ignorant people. They must be rounded up and punished as murderers with the full force of the law. I hope those same people do not consider themselves to be Christians. They are savages and such behaviour should have no place in the 21st century.

Too bad. Old age does not mean ufiti. Malawians please let’s respect the elderly and the right to life. Having elderly people in our area should be considered a blessing and not a curse. My condolence to the bereaved families

Title “Four Men ………..” misleading. There are three women and one man. Title should have been ” Four People…….”. All the same , never before has such a barbaric act been committed in Malawi. All those involved in this act should be apprehended and face the law before hanging them ASAP!!!!!!!

THIS IS BARBARIC OF HIGHEST ORDER!!!! WHY KILL THE ELDERLY, BY LIVING TO SUCH AGES MEANS LIVING GOOD LIFE WITH GODS BLESSINGS!!!!! WHY? WHY? WHY?
WAKE UP CALL TO GOVT, THESE ARE SIGNS OF DEPRESSED PEOPLE BECAUSE OF HARDSHIPS THAT THEY ARE GOING THROUGH. PLEASE ACT URGENTLY ON PROBLEMS FACING THEY MALAWIAN POPULATION!!!!!! DON’T JUST BE EATING OUR TAXES, YOU AT THE STEERING.

Headline says “Four men killed by an angry mob” yet when yopu read the story it seems the victims are 3 women and one man , so editor why haven’t you noticed this error before coming out with the story.

arrest the whole village- including the chief- they will point the culprits- there will be no peace in that village for the blood they have spilled- lighting can struck anyone depending on where one is at the time of lightening

When I read this article, I asked whether we people do learn from history to improve upon ourselves as a people. It quickly reminded me of some event that happened there (in Mwanza) in the 1960s when Nyuzi (a witchdoctor) was invited by villagers to administer ‘mwavi’ (a deadly concoction) to sniff out witches. Ironically, Neno was part of Mwanza then. Sixteen people were given Nyuzi’s concoction (administered by his assistant Kudemera), four of them died, and twelve fell very sick. Nyuzi said the dead 4 were witches. Well, for the rest, read ‘African Law Report’, Malawi Series, 1966-68, 249). Now my concern is that over 50 years later, from the same area we have another catastrophe on the same issue of witchcraft. Do we learn from our past really? How can we descend upon four human lives all because GOD has blessed them with age? I think we can do better as a nation. GOD have mercy.

People should not age and enjoy their old age in this land of Malawi. Koma. Shame on such backward thinking. Umbuli kills stagnates development and progress. Can the killers be found and prosecuted please. If the village singanga is involved can he rot in jail too.

This is the result when you live in a lawless country.It is pity that some business men have lost their business because of such thing.If the knew why lightining caused be people why not sell to the warriors.Government has to make laws to compensete such affected people.

Oh no,! this sight can’t be of my beautiful and peaceful Malawi. It just can’t be!, it should be some where in Burundi or Zaire or somewhere else in Islamic states but definitely not in Malawi, no!, no,no!. Please Mr Phiri, the reporter, conduct an adequate proper research prior to reporting and fix your error, I am more than ready to accept your apology.

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Let it be known that if you embark on a journey called life, you may not avoid other things from happening to you like associating with or living among less-intelligent or unintelligent or foolish people or brutes or brutal superstitious savages, willingly or unwillingly, by fate or choice or otherwise.

Now, let us so live among such people as not to boast about being something else; lest we be misunderstood and incite the devil in men and call trouble upon ourselves.

It’s important to remember that . . . So many flowers in the garden; each wanting to grow the tallest, bloom the brightest, one by one, sooner or later, they all get plucked. Thus, safer it is sometimes, to not want to be the tallest or the brightest flower; just aim at remaining in the garden, until the sun or time withers you away.

Otherwise, whether the four boasted about being tsetseflies, mosquitos or mosquito nets, subsidised fertiliser or malata or cement, snakes, wizards or witches, or the lightning that killed the girl; what happened is horrendously deplorable or deplorably horrendous.
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This is unfair on the murdered elderly people. In this day and age there are still people who are this backward in their thinking. All the people who took part in the murder of these innocent souls should be arrested and face the law.This is brutality of the highest order.I cannot imagine how some people can act like this. I am lost for words.

Umbuli umbuli at its highest order. If there was heavy downpour at the time the lightning struck, its just normal. Lightning has been killing people ever since time immemorial. Arrest the whole village akudziwana. How can you brutally murder such aged people? Ubuntu ukusoweka.